MARKETING THE INBETWEENNESS: tangibles and intangibles in tourism

Abstract

The inbetweenness refers to boundaries that, instead of separating, serve as a means for interaction and confluence. In tourism such cases can be observed on many levels, whereby there exists a 'gray' area between the coverage of various scientific disciplines: it is about the general ambiance, the normal daily life and cultural heritage of a place, which exists at a destination anyway with or without the presence of tourists. For many, what cannot be made tangible economically, is located outside the boundaries of the economy and is therefore denied. However in areas of tourism where disciplines such as economy, sociology, anthropology or social-psychology meet a rich encounter takes place that embraces a broad array of sources and clues for experiences. This means that the promotion of a tourism destination based on a multi-disciplinary approach that communicates values on socio-cultural or anthropological levels can parallel traditional marketing strategies, opening even more channels for communication, not so much for selling purposes, but for drawing the attention to the storehouses of meanings and experience clues that represent daily life at any destination: the marketing of the inbetweenness